Take up your cross and follow me

It is true that one of the things that Jesus meant when He said to his disciples in Matthew 16:24, "take up your cross and follow me," was that we would suffer hardships in His name, but more importantly, He meant that we are to dedicate our whole entire life to Him, pursue a spiritual life.  Matthew 10:38 says, “Whosoever does not take up their cross and not follow me is not worthy of me.”  Self-denying is to sacrifice one’s own desires and interests.  This is exactly how we ought to live our lives, we must not put ourselves or our children, careers, hobbies, interests, or families before the Lord.  Because when we do, things just don't work out they way we had expected.  Take a moment and search your surroundings to see how chaotic this world is becoming because society has decided to take God away from the picture, and replace Him with our beliefs/desires.  As we can clearly see, its just not working out the way we had expected, and that is, because God is in full control.  He never sleeps or ponders.  Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together."

We must examine our lives to make sure we are not allowing anything to hinder our walk with the Lord.  Recall Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, “See you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Am I suggesting that we are to put our life’s treasures aside for God, and not pursue them, absolutely not, but what I am saying is that we cannot put our life’s energy and focus on the things of this world, as we very well know that these things are meaningless in heaven, they will not get you closer to God, if anything, they become stumbling blocks in our spiritual walk. 

We all want to reach those high mountains, it is great to dream and pursue; however, be extremely careful on how you are pursing them.  Always remember that all mountains have stony rocks, and they will definitely hinder your path to the top.  Have you guarded yourself from them?  Stony rocks can be anything that prevents you from reaching your spiritual goals, like pursing your dreams at all costs -no matter what, exposing yourself to negative influences (negative behaviors and addictions,) and neglecting God’s purpose in your life in order to pursue your purpose.  Furthermore, remember that just because you have made it to the top of the mountain does not mean you have reached God’s mountain. 

Reflect for a moment and take inventory of your spiritual life to see where you would be in one year.  Are you going to be where God wants you to be?  As you start climbing your mountain, do you see God at the very top of it waiting for you to get there?  How do you know for sure you are on the right mountain? 

 +Encourage Women to Stand in Faith